The Steppe of Kazakhstan

Hello again. Twice in one day. Its almost bedtime here, but I wanted to share with you our afternoon adventure. At 3:00pm, Elaine from South Africa and her husband Warren, from Colorado met us at our hotel. They have lived here in Karaganda for 5 years. They are doing missionary work for a non profit organization. Here they are helping run the Catholic church and its mission home for abandoned children. What interesting people they are! They have traveled all over the world doing this work where ever they go. So they invited us to walk out on the 'steppe' with them.

I have read about the steppe and I saw a movie called 'Tulpan' which shows life on the steppe. ( If you are interested in foreign films, it won a foreign film award this year. It is like a documentary with characters. Its a hard life.) Anyway, the steppe is huge. It is like the outback in Australia. The entire north central area of Kazakhstan is the Steppe. It is an arid, flat infertile land. It is where the first Kazakhs lived as nomads until the Russians put then on collective farms. There are a few nomads left today, but most live in permanent homes. The nomads would graze their herds of sheep, horses, and camels across the steppe. They would live in yurts. A portable, yet stable home. The traditional Kazakh food dishes are based on this nomadic lifestyle. That's why there is so much mutton and horse on the menu.

Today we took a bus to the outskirts of town. From there we walked about 2 miles across the Steppe to a spring where they get their drinking water. It is a hole in the ground with water gushing out. I was expecting a spring like the one in Bay View with a spigot. No, they just reach down with their containers and fill them up. Its better water than the city water which we cannot drink. I didn't try it, (its too soon into the trip to get sick.) Even though the Steppe is barren, brown, flat land that stretches for miles and miles, it has a magnificence and beauty about it. We happen to be walking on land owned by a horse meat company. There was a herd of about 30 horses off in the distance. Poor guys, might be my dinner one of these nights:).

The housing in Kazakhstan is that of the Soviet era. Enormous, blocks of buildings with court yards. We have been wondering what they are like on the inside. Luckily, we were invited in for tea. They are very sturdy buildings. Not very glamorous. Elaine and Warren have a four room flat for themselves and two daughters. (Their other two daughters are at the University in Boulder, Co.) It looks cozy inside.

Another great day in Kaz....but,I missed seeing Sofia.